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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

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D 
D 
D 
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dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  ei.ipreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  ies  autres  exempiaires 
originaux  sont  film^s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboies  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
fiim6s  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffirents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  film6  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nicessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m^thode. 


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111  ilDS  If  1 ! 


AND 


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HOW  TO  GET  THERE. 


I 


BY 


DR.  E.  O.  CREWE, 

Author  of  "Spills,"  An  Amazon  Id^ll,  An  Arctic 
Narrative,  Etc.,  Etc. 


CHICAGO: 

O.  C.  Cole  &  Co.,  Publishers, 

312-167  Dearborn  St. 


COPYRIGHTED    1897 

BY 

O.  C.  COLE  &  CO. 


.-:■>' 


PREFACE. 

The  hundreds  of  prospective  miners  who  have  be- 
sieged the  author  for  information  concernin*^  the  recent 
remarkable  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Klondyke  and 
other  tributaries  of  the  Yukon  promp<^"d  the  publica- 
tion of  this  little  book,  out  of  sheer  self  defense,  as  it 
vv^as  absolutely  impossible  to  give  every  eager  calle*"  all 
the  information  he  sought.  Many  of  my  readers  will 
wonder  why  I  left  the  yellow  fields  of  the  Yukon  with 
its  incomparable  opportunities  for  acquiring  wealth  for 
the  struggle  for  existence  in  the  great  crowded  cities 
of  civilization,  and  I  can  with  all  honesty  say,  that  a 
longing  for  the  savory  dishes  of  home  and  an  uncon- 
trollable desire  to  spend  the  gold  I  had  found  in  the 
rivers  of  the  Artie  region  were  the  only  factors  in  the 
cause  of  my  departure.  I  trust  that  the  advice  I  give 
to  my  readers  will  be  of  immense  value  to  the  thou- 
sands that  will  soon  occupy  the  at  present  unnamed 
gulches  and  creeks  of  this  miner's  mecca. 


Pacific  N.  W.  History  Dept. 

pROVfMCLAL.  LIBRARY 
VICTORIA,  B.  C. 


PREFACE 


Would  be  prospectors  must  be  prepared  to  meet 
with  many  disappointments,  prepared  to  experience 
well-nigh  unbearable  hardships,  encounter  innumerable 
difficulties  in  the  mad  search  for  gold,  but  if  deter- 
mined to  keep  up  heart  in  spite  of  every  reverse,  deter- 
mined to  find  the  yellow  dust  which  is  conceded  to  be 
hidden  by  the  black  sterile  soil  of  so  many  of  these 
Artie  creeks,  I  see  no  reason  why  many,  very  many, 
should  not  acquire  at  least  a  competency.     E.  O.  C. 


2et 
ice 
)le 
3r- 
?r- 
be 
!se 


MINING  CAnPS  OF  THE  YUKON. 

The  most  important  mining  camps  on  the  Yukon 
River  are  located  on  the  numerous  tributaries  of  Forty 
Mile  Creek,  Sixty  Mile  Creek,  Birch  Creek,  (Circle 
City)  Stewart  River,  Pelly  River  and  Klondyke  (the 
most  recent  discovery  has  been  on  Bonanza  Creek,  a 
tributary  of  the  Klondyke  River.) 

I  shall  refer  to  the  camps  in  the  order  of  their  dis- 
covery and  confine  myself  to  a  g^eneral  idea  of  the 
value  of  the  various  creeks,  appraised  by  the  quantity 
of  gold  these  creeks  have  turned  out.  The  mines,  it 
must  be  understood,  are  not  on  the  creeks  or  rivers 
named,  but  on  theu  tributaries.  ' 

STEWART  RIVER. 

Gold  was  first  discovered  on  Stewart  Rive-  in  1883, 
and  thousands  of  dollars  have  been  taken  out  of  its 
many   bars   in   comparatively  recent  times. 

The  numerous  tributaries  of  this  river  have  been 
very  meagerly  prospected,  owing  to  the  distance  from 
the  base  of  supplies,  and  my  individual  opinion  is  that 
before  many  seasons  have  passed,  we  shall  hear  of  one 
of  the  most  extraordinary  discoveries  of  gold  on  some 
of  the  tributaries  of  this  river. 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


When  this  event  takes  place,   it    will    make    it   well  . 
worth  while  for  the  two   Yukon  Tradin*^  Companies, 
who  have  storehouses  at  various  points  alon<^  the  river  to 
cstahlish  a  more  efficient  traclin<ij  post  at  the  confluence 
of  the  Stewart  River  with  the  Yukon. 

PELLY  RIVER. 

Like  the  Stewart  River,  most  of  the  gold  that  has 
been  taken  out  of  the  Pelly  River  has  been  obtained 
by  working  its  many  rich  bars.  Like  the  Stewart 
River,  its  tributaries  have  been  very  little  prospected, 
because  of  the  ditKculty  of  buying  provisions,  as  only 
an  occasional  river  steamer  runs  up  the  Yukon  as  far 
as  Harper's  Trading  Post,  at  Fort  Selkirk,  which  is 
almost  directly  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Pelly  River. 
This  steamer  averages  one  run  up  as  far  as  Fort  Sel- 
kirk per  year,  and  leaves  a  totally  inadequate  supply  of 
food  stuffs  to  warrant  the  hardy  prospector  in  relying 
on  this  post  when  his  larder  needs  replenishing,  and 
only  those  who  have  poled  against  the  swift  current  of 
the  Yukon  can  know  the  toil  of  bringing  the  year's 
provisions  from  Forty  Mile  to  the  Pelly  River.  This 
accounts  for  the  very  few  prospectors  who  have  dared 
to  endure   the  winter  on   the   Pelly  or  Stewart  Rivers. 

FORTY  MILE  CREEK. 

Gold  was   discovered   on    this  Creek   in    i8S6,  three 
years  after  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Stewart  River, 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


Ul 


since  which  time  hundreds  of  thousand  of  dollars  have 
been  taken  from  the  rich  bars  and  richer  gulches  and 
creeks  tributary  to  lu      Until  the  recent  disc(weries  on 
Birch  Creek,  two  hunch-ed  and  eighty  miles  down   the 
river,  and  Klonk\ '  e  River,  fifty-five  miles  up  the  river, 
this  town  of  Forty-Mi'e  was  the  most  important  trad- 
ing Po-it  on  the  UpT»er  Yukon.     Here  one  could  obtain 
all  the  delicacies  cf  an  Arctic  table  d'hote.     This  camp 
was   the   starting   point   for  every   creek   or  gulch   or 
placer  ground  on  the    Upper   Yuko.i    River,   and   here 
one    depended    on    the    post   for  obtaining    sulficient 
foods  to  last  them  through   the  winters.     There  are,  at 
the  present  time,  two  trading  companies  doing  business 
at  this  point,  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  whose 
headquarters    are    in    San    Francisco,    and    the    North 
American  Trading  and  Transportation  Company,  with 
headquarters  in    Chicago.     The    trading    post    of    the 
North  American  Company  is   located  across  the  Forty 
Mile  Creek,  about  half  a  mile   from   the   townsite  of 

Forty  Mile. 

Both  companies  have  done  and  are  doing  a  thriving 
business  at  this  point,  and  the  miners  and  prospectors 
have  me^  with  every  possible  accommodation  at  their 
hands.  It  is  undoubtedly  due  to  their  extraordinary 
enterprise  and  willingness  to  give  credit  to  the  'busted' 
miner  that  the  Yukon  R.iver  has  attained  its  present 
remarkable  status  among  the  gold  producing  rivers  of 
the  world. 


8 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


CIRCLE  CITY. 

Some  of  the  best  placer  mines  of  the  country  are 
located  within  packing  distance  of  this  town.  It  has 
at  present  a  population  of  about  1,500  or  1,600,  and  three 
years  ago,  there  was  not  even  an  Indian  tent  pitched  on 
its  present  site.  It  is  indeed  a  'mushroom  town'.  The 
rich  discoveries  of  gold  on  Mammoth  and  Mastodon 
Creeks  and  many  gulches  which  terminate  in  these 
creeks,  all  of  them  tributaries  of  Birch  Creek,  gave 
renewed  hope  to  the  hundreds  of  late  comers  at  Forty 
Mile  and  the  many  luckless  old  timers  and  a  rush  was 
made  for  the  new  diggings.  The  more  eager  ones 
pulled  their  boats  up  the  banks  of  the  present  town 
site,  and  rushed  madly  across  the  divide  to  the  reported 
discoveries,  some  sixty  miles  from  the  point  of 
departure,  some  to  meet  with  disappointment,  others 
to  find  fortune  awaiting  them  at  the  first  stroke  of  the 
pick.  A  few  of  the  wiser  heads  in  the  stampede 
camped  on  the  present  town  site,  filed  on  the  corner 
lots,  bought  other  corner  lots  from  willing  sellers,  and 
in  a  few  weeks  found  themselves  rich.  Real  estate 
rapidly  advanced  in  value,  and  the  owners  of  choice 
locations  found  themselves  more  envied  than  even  the 
prospectors  who  had  located  rich  claims  on  the  new 
creeks.  This  frontier  town  is  steadily  increasing  in 
population  and  importance,  as  the  miners  and  prospi.  c- 
tors  are  constantly  finding  new  and  richer  diggings  in 
the  many  creeks  and  canons  that  intersect   this  district. 


I.I^KE  eCMMET, 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


II 


There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  Circle  'City  will 
eventually  prove  to  be  the  richest  camp,  having  the 
most  permanent  diggings  in  the  Yukon  Valley.  This 
region  has  been  comparatively  little  prospected,  and  it 
offers  a  good  field  for  the  hardy  adventurer. 

THE  KLONDYKE  RIVER. 

The    most    recent    and    interesting   news    from  the 
Yukon    River    is    the    discovery    of    the    rich    new 
placers    at    Klondyke,    one    of    its    many    tributaries, 
aboiit    fifty-five    miles    above    the    mouth    of    Forty 
Mile   Creek,  only  a  few   miles   from   the   old   Hudson 
Bay   post  of  Fort  Reliance.     This  camp  was   discov- 
ered last  August  by  an  Indian,  who  told  the  good  news 
to  an  old  settler,    named    George    McCarmack,    who 
verified  the   Indian's  statement,  and  electrified  the  few 
boon  companions  whom  he  favored,  by  stating  that  the 
Klondyke,  a  hitherto  unsuspected  stream,  had  a  golden 
bottom.     The  news  spread  rapidly,  prospectors  flocked 
in  from  every  camp  w^ithin  news-hearing  distance,  and 
almost  instantly  a  town  sprang  up  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Klondyke   River,  where  it  joins   the  Yukon,  on  which 
site  there  had  been    hitherto   only  a   few    Indian  huts. 
The  point  of   land  on  which  the  present  town  of  Daw- 
son City  is  located    has   long  been  favored  as  a  salmon 
catching  district,  and    here,  prior  to  the   discovery    of 
gold   on   the  Klondyke,  could   be  seen  in  the   salmon 


12 


GOLD   FIELDS   OF   THE   YUKON. 


season  of  the  year,  thousands  of  the  pink-colored  fish 
hanging  on  strings  made  of  buckskin,  drying  in  the  fierce 
heat  of  the  Yukon  Valley.  Immediately  on  receiving 
news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  tributaries  of  the 
Klondyke,  hundreds  of  prospectors  and  miners,  "  Ten- 
derfeet "  and  old  timers,  men  and  women  tumbled  over 
each  other  in  their  efforts  to  get  to  the  new  El  Dorado, 
and  in  a  few  days  gold  in  large  quantities  was  being 
taken  out  of  Bonanza  and  El  Dorado  Creeks,  both 
tributaries  of  the  Klondyke.  At  the  time  of  the 
discovery  the  nearest  supply  station  was  Forty  Mile, 
about  fifty-five  miles  down  the  Yukon  River,  and  as 
the  miners  had  only  a  prospecting  outfit  with  them, 
they  had  to  leave  their  riches  as  soon  as  winter  set 
in,  only  however,  to  return  to  their  claims  as  soon 
as  they  could  haul  a  few  sled  loads  of  provisions 
from  Forty  Mile.  The  results  of  prospecting  their 
claims,  even  before  the  river  became  frozen,  gave 
more  than  satisfaction  to  their  fortunate  owne:  l.. 
Some  of  the  claims  prospected  as  much  as  $ioo 
to  the  pan  on  bed  rock,  and  the  pay  streak  ranged 
from  one  to  five  feet  deep,  and  from  ten  to  fifty 
feet    wide. 

Other  tributaries  of  the  Klondyke  gave  promise  of 
even  greater  riches  than  the  two  creeks  named. 
Bonanza  and  El  Dorado,  thousands  of  dollars  having 
been  taken  out  of  many  unnamed  creeks  before  the 
winter  set  in. 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


13 


Klondyke  is  the  greatest  discovery  so  far  made  on 
the  Yukon  River,  and  it  bids  fair  to  outstrip  in  gokl 
production  even  the  workl-famed  Transvaal.  The 
reports  recently  received,  astounding  as  they  are,  bear 
with  them  an  air  of  truth,  as  I  believe  from  personal 
experience  that  more  gold  will  come  out  of  the  Yukon 
Valley  than  California  ever  dreamed  of  producing  in 
the  days  of  '49. 

DAWSON  CITY. 

The  trading  post  of  the  Klondyke  region  is  not 
more  than  six  months  old,  but  already  it  is  the  busiest 
camp  on  the  river.  Old  Joe  Ladue  (who,  by  the  way, 
is  far  from  being  an  old  man),  one  of  the  Yukon 
pioneers,  is  the  owner  of  the  town  site,  and  he  is 
receiving  exceedingly  big  prices  for  his  choice  town 
lots,  as,  to  say  nothing  of  the  value  of  the  business 
locations,  the  average  Yukon  miner  will  not  stick  at 
one  or  two  thousand  dollars,  if  he  fancies  a  location  for 
his  cabin.  The  mines  are  ten  or  fifteen  miles  above 
the  town  site,  and  are  very  easily  reached  by  poling  up 
the  Klondyke  in  summer,  and  sleighing  over  the  frozen 
river  in  the  winter.  Enormous  quantities  of  gold  dust 
are  expected  to  be  taken  out  of  this  section  the  coming 
season.  Reports  already  verify  the  production  of 
millions  of  dollars.  The  express  and  various  trading 
companies  have  already  received  several  million  dollars 
for  shipment  from  this  district. 


14 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF   THE    YUKON. 


It  is,  indeed,  deplorable  that  supplies  cannot  be  ship- 
ped to  such  camps  in  much  larger  quantities,  as  I  am 
very  much  afraid  there  will  be  a  scarcity  of  provisions 
along  the  Upper  Yukon  this  winter,  and  new  comers 
will  find  a  very  scanty  larder  awaiting  them,  and  my 
advice  to  all  intending  Argonauts  is,  "  take  a  year's 
grub  with  you." 

If  the  prospective  miner  can  afford  to  have  suffi- 
cient provisions  taken  into  the  country,  either  by  the 
way  of  St.  Michael's  Island  or  packed  over  Chilkoot 
Pass  to  last  him  a  year,  I  do  not  believe  he  will  again 
have  any  difficulty  in  buying  sufficient  provisions  in 
the  Yukon  Valley.  It  certainly  must  be  the  policy  of 
the  various  trading  companies  to  dispose  of  all  the 
merchandise  they  can  possibly  transport  into  the  coun- 
try, and  it  is  a  moral  certainty  that  enough  food  will 
be  taken  to  the  mining  section  of  the  Yukon  to  pre- 
vent food  famines  in  the  future. 

The  sentiment  now  agitating  the  nervous  system  of 
a  multitude  of  the  American  people,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  gold-born  Europeans,  is  "  Gold,  Gold,  Klondyke 
Gold."  That  tons  of  it  can  be  found  in  the  Yukon 
Valley  from  Pelly  River  to  the  Kuskoqwim,  a  goodly 
number  of  eager  prospectors  do  not  doubt,  and  reports 
that  I  have  recently  received  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon  River,  and  personal  observations  during  my 
sojourii  in  the  country,  incline  me  to  the  same  opinion. 
The  country  is  a  large  one,  and  gold  bearing  gravel  is 


SELKIRK  o> 


p£t<y  t\fveH 


L'TTie.   S^tVlO 


N  f{ 


«; 


'i^ 


9 


€\ 


% 


^'«*c?«?;'« 


"y^KisH  House. 


'«»»^, 


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>V/,^ 


T, 


RO»v» 

To 


Hybi 


5eiLK/^K. 


\m\ 


ill 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


17 


found  on  nearly  every  creek,  in  nearly  every  trulch 
that  empties  into  the  mighty  Yukon,  and  even  up  in 
the  headwaters  of  the  river  itself,  and  no  man  who 
has  lived  in  the  country  and  prospected  any  of  its 
streams  will  doubt  the  ring  of  truth  in  the  marvelous 
reports  that  arrive  daily  of  the  fabulous  wealth  of  the 
Klondyke  District. 

There  is   no   doubt  that  some  of  the   rich   finds   are 
very  much  exaggerated,  but  one  familiar  with  the  field 
will  not  be  totally  incredulous.  At  the  present  moment, 
the  biggest  yield  of  gold  in  the  Yukon   Valley  is  un- 
doubtedly in  the  Klondyke  District,  but  no   man  may 
say  that  the  gold  producing  area  is  limited  to  the  Klon- 
dyke and  its  tributaries,  or  any  of  the  creeks  or  rivers 
from  which  gold  has  been  taken   out  in  large  quanti- 
ties, because  every  foot  of  the   Yukon   River  from  its 
source  to  its   mouth,  a  distance  of    about   2,200  miles 
contains  gold,  in  too  small  quantities,  however,  to  war- 
rant the  miner  spending  his  time  in  working  the   bars 
of  this  river.     The  fine   gold   found  in  the  banks  and 
bars  of  the  Yukon  is  without  doubt  brought  dovvU  by 
the  thousand  creeks  and  streams  that  help  to  swell  the 
mighty  flood  of  water  that  pours  into  the   ocean  with 
such  irresistible  force.     So  universal  is   the  deposit  of 
gold  in  the  mud  banks  of  the  Yukon   that  even  on  the 
shores  of    Behring   Sea,  one  hundred  miles  from  the 
mouth    of  the  river,  gold    is  found    in  the  sands.     It 
is  in  the  unknown,    unnamed    creeks    that   the    thou- 


i8 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


sands  of  miners  will  uncover  the  precious  metal,  and 
I  look  forward  to  the  day  when  there  will  not  be  an 
unprospected,  unnamed  stream  in  the  <i^reat  Northwest. 
This  is  not  a  prediction,  it  is  solely  an  individual  opin- 
ion, and  recent  developments  in  this  threat  waste  of 
bleached  desolation  warrant  me  in  sayin<^  that  the 
white  robes  of  almost  eternal  winter  do  but  cover  an 
undergarment  of  cloth  of  gold. 

It  is  true  that  seeking  for  gold  in  any  region  is  prob- 
ably the  most  arduous  pursuit  a  man  can  engage  in, 
and  in  thousands  of  instances  the  only  reward  the 
prospector  receives  for  his  years  of  toil  is  Vjitter  disap- 
pointment, and  only  he  who  has  shouldered  a  pick  and 
shovel,  prospected  claim  after  claim,  knows  what  a 
queer  lottery  mining  is. 

One  man  well  skilled  in  the  subtle  art  of  coaxing 
the  yellow  dust  from  the  ever  persistent  black  sand, 
may  search  unceasingly  over  a  section  of  country 
without  finding  even  a  particle  of  gold,  yet  another,  a 
"  tenderfoot,"  absolutely  unskilled  in  mining  operations, 
who  does  not  know  gold  from  verdigris  may  follow 
almost  in  his  very  footsteps,  and  without  an  effort, 
drive  his  pick  into  the  ground,  and  lo !  he  is  rich 
beyond  belief.  This  state  of  affairs  exists  in  the 
Yukon  District  to-day,  as  it  did  in  California  in  '49,  and 
not  all  will  grow  rich  who  wander  to  the  Klondyke. 

Klondyke  is  at  present  purely  and  simply  a  placer 
mining    country,  and    the   man   who  wastes    his    time 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


19 


hiintiniLi;  for  ([uartz  veins  will  get  very  little  for  his 
trouble  :  he  hail  l)etter  go  with  the  rushes  to  some  of 
the  diurnal  new  discoveries,  and  try  his  luck  at  placering, 
and  if  fortune  smiles  on  him,  lie  will  very  soon  possess 
a  claim  that  will  make  him  rich,  very  much  sooner 
than  though  he  found  a  lead,  and  his  will  he  a  short 
sojourn  in  the  land  of  the  midnight  sun,  and  in  the 
land  of  money  and  misery. 

The  best  advice  I  can  give  to  an  intending  pros- 
pector who  knows  nothing  of  mining,  yet  who  cra/ed 
by  the  fabulous  reports  from  the  Northern  country, 
has  made  up' his  mind  to  go  to  the  Klondyke,  is  to 
keep  a  level  head,  abstain  from  the  intoxication  of  the 
Klondyke  stories  and  waters,  and  listen  to  the  tale  of 
some  one  of  the  old  timers  who  is  about  to  go  on  a 
prospecting  trip  to  a  likely  creek  he  knows  of,  and  has 
prospected  it  sufficiently  to  warrant  his  return,  and  go 
with  him  if  possible,  instead  of  hanging  around  the 
trading  posts  and  possibly  taking  too  much  stock  in 
the  stories  of  a  camp  loafer  who  is  eternally  looking 
for  a  'grub  stake.' 

The  methods  of  placer  mining  in  a  country  that  is 
frozen  nearly  the  whole  year  round  to  within  a  foot  of 
the  surface  will  be  best  learned  by  actual  experience 
and  close  observation.  It  would  be  useless  for  me  to 
dwell  upon  "  burning"  and  "stoping"  as  is  practiced 
in  the  winter  in  this  country.  It  will  be  sufficient  for 
me  to  say  that  the  gold    in  the  Klondyke  is   from  five 


T 


20 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


!iP!li 


to  twenty  feet  under  the  surface  and  is  gotten  at  l)y 
huiltling  hu<rc  fires  and  thawin«>f  out  the  frozen  jrroinul, 
sinking  down  to  ])e(l  rock  and  taking  out  the  pay 
streak,  wliich  is  (Unuped  in  some  convenient  and  safe 
place  to  wait  for  the  spring  freshet,  when  a  whole 
winter's  find  can  he  sluiced  in  a  few  days.  It  is  un- 
necessary for  me  to  say  that  while  sinking  the  shaft  to 
hed  rock  every  foot  of  the  grouu'  nust  be  prospect  A, 
and  if  the  prospect  shows  no  ly  dirt  the  claim  is 
abandoned,  and   another  one  sought. 

Placer  mining*  in  summer  in  the  Klondyke  is  to  all 
intents  and  purposes  the  same  as  it  is  in  any  other 
placer  country.  A  few  words  more  and  I  will  come 
to  the  practical  part  of  this  book,  and  which  you  must 
follow  closely  in  order  to  acquire  any  benefit  from  my 
advice. 

Don't  go  to  the  Yukon  unless  you  are  stout-hearted 
and  strong  limbed. 

Don't  go  to  the  Yukon  unless  you  have  at  least  one 
year's  provisions  with  you,  which  will  give  you  at  least 
a  year's  independence,  and  put  you  a — tenderfoot — on 
an  equal  footing  with  the  old  timer. 


THE  WAY  TO  GO. 


I! 


Klondyke,  or  any  of  the  camps  on  the  Yukon  River 
can  be  reached  by  two  routes,  both  beginning  either  at 
Seattle  or  San  Francisco.    At  either  port,  one  can  take 


j  I 


T 


GOLD   FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


21 


by 


an  ocean  steamer  for  St.  Michael's  Island,  and  then  j^o 
V)y  river  ])oat  up  the  Yukon  to  any  desired  point,  as  far 
towards  its  source  as  Fort  Selkirk.  Or,  he  may  ^o  by 
steamer  from  either  point  to  Juneau  ;  and  from  there 
can  take  a  small  steamer  to  Dyea  (the  Rustler  is  the 
most  popular)  and  then  climb  over  Chilkoot  Pass  to 
Lake  Linderman,  a  distance  of  about  twenty-eight 
miles,  and  following  the  chain  of  lakes  to  the  Lewis 
River,  which  at  Fort  Selkirk  empties  into  the  Yukon, 
down  the  Yukon  until  the  Klondyke  is  reached.  The 
former  line  of  travel  is  little  used,  save  by  those  who 
are  disinclined  to  brave  the  hardships  of  a  journey 
over  land,  or  by  the  wives  of  some  of  the  more  for- 
tunate fellows  who  have  made  a  comfortable  '  pile ' 
and  have  sent  for  the  plucky  women  to  share  with 
them  the  discomforts  of  a  rigorous  Arctic  climate  until 
their  claim  is  worked  out. 

The  overland  route  is  the  one  I  shall  pilot  my 
readers  over,  and  from  my  own  and  ninety- five  per  cent 
of  the  Yukoners'  point  of  view,  it  is  the  best.  The 
accompanying  maps  and  diagrams  of  the  journey  and 
points  of  interest  are  fairly  accurate,  and  will  with  the 
■  explicit  directions  I  shall  give  you  be  quite  sufficient 
for  one  with  ordinary  intelligence  to  serve  as  a  guide 
to  the  new  El  Dorado. 

Presuming  we  have  reached  the  port  of  Seattle,  we 
shall  take  one  of  the  hume%is  steamers  plying  be- 
tween   there   and  Juneau.     We   will    not   weary   our 


i 


22 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


!i  I 


iilM 


readers  by  jj^ivinj^  the  details  of  the  journey  up  the 
picturesque  Sound  to  Juneau,  but  will  at  once  disem- 
bark at  that  thriving  little  niiniiijj^  town,  after  a  pleas- 
ant four  days'  voyage,  and  assemble  our  baggage  pre- 
paratory to  re-embarking  on  the  saucy  little  Rustler. 
A  short  run  of  a  hundred  miles  lands  us  within  a  mile 
of  llealy's  store  at  Dyea,  and  here  our  actual  journey 
commences.  Here  we  must  bid  farewell  to  steamships 
and  postoffices,  and  all  the  pleasant  adjuncts  of  civili- 
zation, for  six  or  seven  hundred  long  weary  miles, 
longings  for  savory  morsels  from  this  moment  until 
we  again  reach  civilization  will  be  in  vain.  We  must 
now  overlook  our  baggage,  and  find  whether  or  not 
we  have  left  anything  liehind  us  in  Juneau.  We  must 
make  sure  that  we  have  a  very  coiupletc  outfit,  for 
although  there  is  a  store  at  this  point,  it  is  extremely 
difficult  to  obtain  many  necessary  articles  for  the  jour- 
ney, the  demand  made  on  the  storekeeper  frequently 
being  greater  than  his  supply.  We  shall  devote 
a  page  or  two  to  "outfitting"  in  due  time.  We 
must  presume  that  we  are  now  equipped  for  the 
journey. 

At  Dyea  we  engage  Indians  to  pack  our  outfit  in  one 
of  their  dugouts,  and  tow  it  to  the  head  of  canoe  navi- 
gation on  the  Dyea  river,  a  distance  of  about  six  miles. 
If  possible,  we  shall  cajole  them  into  packing  all  our 
goods  over  the  Pass  t  j  Lake  Linderman,  about  twenty- 
two  Ci  twenty-three  miles  from  the  head  of  canoe  navi- 


i 


( 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


23 


I 


gatioii.  The  recognized  "packing  rate"  from  Dyea  to 
Lake  Linc^rmann  is  fifteen  cents  per  pound,  and  the 
average  load  for  the  adult  Indian  is  one  hundred  and 
twenty  poi'r.ds.  Very  often  boys  and  women  are 
pressed  in::o  service,  carrying  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
pounds  each.  We  have  hired  a  sufficient  number  of 
Indians  to  make  the  journey  in  one  trip,  otherwise  we 
should  have  had  to  "double  trip";  that  is  take  a  pack 
for  a  mile  or  two  and  return  for  another  one,  until  the 
whole  baggage  is  over  the  pass  and  on  the  shores  of  the 
lake,  from  which  point  we  shall  have  little  difficulty  in 
getting  it  down  the  river.  Having  arrived  at  the  head  of 
canoe  navigation,  we  follow  a  well  defined  trail  leading 
towards  the  summit  (I  am  speaking  of  the  summer 
journey),  until  we  reach  the  canyon;  here  we  camp, 
The  following  day,  making  an  early  start,  we  follow 
the  trail  up  the  canyon  and  camp  that  night  at  Stone 
House.  This  is  a  much  frequented  camping  ground 
for  "  packers."  It  was  so  named  because  an  over- 
hanging rock  on  the  line  of  march  lends  the  pile 
of  rocks  an  appearance  of  a  civilized  abode ;  it  affords 
very  good  shelter  in  stormy  weather,  and  as  it  is 
often  impossible  to  cross  the  Divide  on  stormy  days 
it  is  much  used  by  packers  while  waiting  for  fair 
weather  before  attempting  the  fearful  toil  up  the 
ascent. 

The  morning  of  our  attempt  to  cross  the  Divide  we 
make  an  early  start,  about  3  or  4  o'clock,  and  a  mile  or 


iiiiii 
'I 


24 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


two  after  leaving  Stone  House  we  come  suddenly  upon 
the  roof-like  Perrier  Glacier,  which  is  the  actual 
Divide,  which  looms  up  in  front  of  us  as  we  slowly 
climb  the  snow-covered  slope  which  leads  to  the  foot 
of  the  ridge.  We  rest  as  seldom  as  possible,  because  it 
is  very  necessary  that  we  should  cross  the  Divide  in 
ore  march  and  make  camp  three  or  four  miles  on  the 
other  side  of  it,  where  we  shall  be  able  to  pick  up  a  few 
sticks  and  dried  moss  to  do  our  camp  cooking  with. 
Having  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  now  almost  per- 
pendicular mountain  of  ice  and  half  thawed  snow,  we 
struggle  upwards,  sometimes  up  to  our  knees  in  slush, 
sometimes  clinging  with  hands  and  feet  to  the  slippery 
mountain.  Zigzagging  from  one  side  to  the  other 
until  abou .  half  way  up  the  ascent  we  drop  our  packs 
and  survey  the  remainder  of  our  journey  up  the 
glacier.  On  our  left  hand  further  progress  is  im- 
possible :  a  perpendicular  wall  of  deep  blue  ice  towers 
up  a  thousand  feet  above  the  actual  Pass  ;  on  our  right, 
we  notice  a  pile  of  broken  rocks  that  have  crumbled 
from  the  cliff  that  forms  the  right  hand  side  of  the 
canyon.  Towards  these  rocks  we  slowly  pick  our 
way,  over  which  we  slowly  wend,  towards  the 
base  of  the  cliff,  and  having  gained  this  comparatively 
comfortable  foothold  our  progress  is  quite  easy  and 
fairly  rapid.  Ever  keeping  along  the  base  of  the 
cliff,  ever  getting  nearer  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  we  have 
little  difficulty  in  managing  our  somewhat  bulky  pack. 


I    ! 


, 


ily  upon 
e  actual 
3  slowly 
the  foot 
ecause  it 
)ivide  in 
>  on  the 
up  a  few 
ig  with, 
ost  per- 
low,  we 
:n  slush, 
slippery 
le  other 
ir  packs 
up    the 

is  ini- 
i  towers 
ur  right, 
rumbled 
;  of  the 
•ick  our 
rds  the 
iratively 
asy  and 

of  the 
we  have 
cy  pack. 


'111; 


!l  lii 


l! 


m 


Ml 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON.  27 

and  almost  before  we  are  aware  of  it  we  "have  crossed 
the  Divide  and  are  over  the  most  laborious  part  of  our 
journey. 

Of  course,  if   more  than  one  trip  is  necessary  the  as- 
cent   will    consume    much    more    time.       One    should 
easily  make    the    journey  from   Dyea    to  Lake  Linder- 
mann  in  three  days  with    an  ordinary  pack    if    '  double 
tripping'  is  unnecessary.     After  resting  awhile  on  the 
summit    of    Chilkoot    Pass,  admiring    the  magnificent 
grandeur    of    the  scene,  we    begin    our  descent    to  the 
Lake ;    turning  a  little    towards  the    left    after    coming 
over  the  Divide  we  follow  the  trend  of  the  hills  which 
lead  us  down   towards  the  north  and  we  are  very  soon 
able    to   see    Crater    Lake    (the    actual    source  of    the 
Yukon.)      Skirting    the   right  hand  shore  of   this  lake, 
we  soon  find  ourselves  in  a  well  defined  ravine,  with  a 
well  worn  trail   running   down  the   right    hand  side  of 
the    little    stream  that    finds  its  way  from  Crater  Lake 
and    empties    in.o  Lake  Lindermann.     As  soon  as  we 
fi.' 1   a  convenient    place   to  pitch    our    tent,  we  make 
ready    for    camping,    and    thoroughly  enjoy   a   hearty 
meal  followed  by  a  well-earned  refreshing  sleep.     The 
following  morning  as  early  as  possible,  we  break  camp 
and  start  with  our  pack  toward  Lake  Lindermann.     A 
few  hours  of  easy  walking  will  bring  us  to   the   lake, 
where  we  must  at  once  break  camp  and   prepare  to  go 
the  balance  of  the  way  by  water.     Since  our  last  jour- 
ney over   this    route,  some   very   enterprising  fellows 


II  Ij'ii 
■  I! 


!i! 


Iliili 


illll 


28 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


have  built  5  saw  mill  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Linder- 
mann,  and  are  making  lioats  to  sell  to  the  miners  vv^ho 
desire  to  make  all  the  speed  possible  in  getting  to  the 
mines.  The  price  of  a  boat,  thirty  feet  long,  is  $75.00, 
but  if  we  do  not  desire  to  pay  so  much  money  for  a 
boat,  we  may  purchase  from  the  saw  mill  men,  lumber 
at  $100  per  1,000  feet.  We  shall  find  that  500  feet 
will  make  a  boat  large  enough  to  carry  lour  men  and 
their  outfits  down  the  lakes  and  rivers.  I  shall  devote 
a  page  or  two  to  boat  building.  The  miners  use  a 
very  peculiarly  shaped  boat,  and  a  little  instruction  will 
enable  any  man  at  all  handy  with  tools  to  construct  one 
in  a  few  hours,  pre  /ided  he  can  purchase  the  boards  from 
the  saw  mill.  We  shall  therefore  buy  a  boat,  or  boards 
to  make  one  with,  if  possible,  and  proceed  on  our  way 
to  the  El  Dorado.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  there  is  a 
scarcity  of  lumber  in  the  vicinity,  we  shall  pack  our 
outfit  along  the  right  hand  shore  of  Lake  Lindermann 
until  we  strike  good  timber,  and  shall  there  make 
camp,  and  whipsaw  enough  boards  out  of  the  trees 
that  we  have  felled  to  build  our  craft.  The  naming  of 
the  craft  is  left  to  any  member  of  the  party  who  may  be 
guiding  it  down  the  river.  Three  or  four  days  will 
easily  suflice  for  us  to  get  out  all  our  lumber  and 
build  our  boat.  We  have  ))rought  the  necessary 
tools,  etc.,  for  constructing  the  boat,  from  Seattle  or 
Juneau,  and  have  only  to  take  advantage  of  the  vast 
quantities  of  good  timber  that  line  the  shores  of  all  the 


■e" 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


29 


Linder- 
lers  who 
f^   to   the 

ney  for  a 
1,  lumber 
500  feet 
men  and 
ill  devote 
rs  use  a 
ction  will 
truct  one 
ards  from 
or  boards 

our  way 
there  is  a 
pack  our 
idermann 
;re  make 
the  trees 
aming  of 
10  may  be 
days  will 
nber  and 
necessary 
Seattle   or 

the  vast 
of  all  the 


' 


lakes.  Having  launched  our  boat  and  loaded  her  with 
the  provisions,  etc.,  we  have  brought  with  us,  we  sail  or 
row  along  the  right  hand  shore  of  the  lake  for  about 
seven  miU  >,  taking  every  opportunity  for  making  cut- 
offs across  the  numerous  bays  that  indent  the  shores* 
When  we  perceive  that  we  are  nearing  the  end  of  the 
lake,  we  look  out  for  signs  of  a  well-defined  trail,  lead- 
ing from  the  right  hand  shore  of  this  lake  over  to 
Lake  Bennett. 

We  shall  make  a  portage  of  about  half  a  mile  and 
re-launch  our  boat  in  Lake  Bennett.  There  is  a  river 
about  a  mile  long  connecting  the  two  lakes,  but  we 
shall  not  attempt  to  run  these  rapids,  because  it  is  too 
dangerous,  the  short  river  being  full  of  jagged  rocks, 
and  we  cannot  afford  to  take  any  risks  in  such  a  coun- 
try as  we  "are  in.  Many  prospectors  who  journey  by 
way  of  Chilkoot  Pass,  and  must  perforce  build  their 
own  boats,  frequently  make  a  raft  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Lindermann  and  sail  the  raft  down  to  the  portage  and 
abandon  it  there,  and  carry  their  goods  to  Lake  Ben- 
net,  where  there  is  excellent  timber  for  boat  building. 
Having  made  the  portage  (which  will  not  delay  us 
more  than  two  hours),  we  proceed  down  the  right 
hand  shore  of  Lake  Bennett  for  about  twenty-six  miles, 
and  we  shall  then  find  ourselves  in  a  sluggish  stream, 
about  three  miles  long,  connecting  Lake  Bennett  with 
Lake  Takou.  Of  course,  we  shall  camp  at  any  point 
where  night  or  desire  overtakes  us,  and   if  we  have  a 


4 


I 


H'li 


l|lllt 


I;: ''     I 


30 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


gill  net  alon<^  with  us,  we  shall  he  very  liable  to  <j^et  a 
quantity  of  fish  in  either  of  I  e  lakes,  (iame  can 
only  be  found  about  ten  or  fifteen  miles  from  the 
water;  it  is  useless  to  hunt  alon<j^  the  shores.  Skirtinjj^ 
the  left  hand  shore  of  Lake  Takou  for  sixteen  or 
seventeen  miles,  we  are  soon  opposite  Takish  House, 
(a  pagoda-like  structure  of  Indian  origin,  of  no  earthly 
use  to  anybody.) 

Still  keeping  the  left  hand  shore  of  the  connecting 
river,  five  miles  long,  without  any  ditiiculty  or  effort  on 
our  part,  we  find  ourselves  at  the  head  of  Lake  Marsh, 
or  as  it  is  better  known  by  the  miners,  Mud  Lake, 
along  the  left  shore  of  which  we  sail  or  row  for  about 
twenty  miles,  whicii  will  bring  us  to  the  Takheenah 
River.  Crossing  over  to  the  right  side  of  the  river  we 
make  good  progress  for  about  twenty  miles,  keeping 
our  eyes  open  for  signs  of  danger,  for  we  are  now 
nearing  the  famous  Miles'  Canyon.  Proceeding 
cautiously  down  the  river  (right  hand  side)  we  are  all 
at  once  in  sight  of  the  queer  rock  wall  that  stretches 
across  the  river  like  a  barrier,  with  but  a  small  opening 
in  the  center  through  which  the  waters  of  the  whole 
lakes  rush  with  fearful  velocity.  Later  on  in  my  story 
I  shall  describe  some  of  the  methods  of  running  this 
canyon.  We  are  well  endowed  with  precaution,  so  we 
shall  not  attempt  to  run  the  canyon,  although  many 
miners  assert  that  it  is  perfectly  safe,  still  to  our  knowl- 
edge   many  foolhardy  men   have    lost  their  boats  and 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


31 


;  to  get  a 
lame  can 
rom  the 
Skirtinjjf 
ixteen  or 
h  House, 

0  earthly 

)nnectino^ 

effort  on 
e  Marsh, 
id  Lake, 
for  about 
akheenah 

river  we 
,  keeping 

are  now 
•oceeding 
ve  are  all 

stretches 

1  opening 
he  whole 
my  story 
ming  this 
on,  so  we 
gh  many 
Lir  knowl- 
boats  and 


outfit,  and  some  even  their  lives  in  attempting  this  feat, 
from  which  but  little  is  to  be  gained,  except  a  saving  of 
a  few  hours'  time  and  a  little  laborious  work.  We 
shall  therefore  make  a  portage  of  boat  and  provisions, 
and  in  a  few  hours,  possibly  three  or  four,  we  are  again 
in  the  river,  and  proceeding  down  the  right  hand  side 
for  a  mile  or  two,  when  we  shall  cross  over  to  the  left 
side  for  we  are  very  near  the  treacherous  White  Horse 
Rapids.  We  go  slowly  down  the  river,  until  we  again 
see  sights  of  imminent  danger,  and  as  soon  as  we 
reached  a  bend  in  the  river  with  smooth  water  on  the 
left  shore,  we  tie  our  boats  to  a  convenient  tree  stump 
ane  make  a  prospect  of  the  rapids.  Having  selected  a 
point  from  which  to  make  our  portage,  we  haul  the 
boat  ashore  and  pack  everything  around  the  danger 
point  and  again  embark.  It  is  well  to  remember  that 
the  White  Horse  Rapids  are  about  three  miles  below 
the  canyon,  and  it  is  well  to  remember  likewise  that 
possibly  ten  per  cent  of  the  men  who  attempt  to  run 
them  are  drowned.  Even  lowering  an  empty  boat 
through  the  rapids,  with  a  rope  fastened  to  each  end  of 
it,  very  often  results  in  the  loss  of  the  boat,  which  is  at 
this  point  of  our  journey  exceedingly  valuable.  We 
do  not  care  about  going  down  the  river  or  crossing 
Lake  Labarge  on  a  raft  or  a  few  tree  stumps  tied 
together,  so  we  are  extremely  careful  of  our  craft. 
Every  spring  sees  a  number  of  accidents  at  this  point 
of  the  river.     Newcomers  are  the  ones  who  attempt 


32 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF   THE    YUKON. 


II 


In 


to  run  the  rapids  for  bravado's  sake  only.  A  journey 
of  twenty-five  miles  from  the  rapids  brings  us  to  Lake 
Labarge ;  this  lake  is  about  thirty  miles  long  and  five 
to  ten  miles  wide.  There  is  an  island  about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  lake,  fairlv  well  wooded.  Soon  after  enter- 
ing Lake  Labarge  from  the  river,  we  skirt  the  left 
shore  until  the  island  is  reached,  when  we  cross  over 
to  the  right  hand  side,  and  proceed  leisurely  along,  sail- 
ing or  rowing  until  we  arrive  at  the  foot  of  the  lake. 
Here  we  shall  find  the  actual  commencement  of  the 
Lewis  river.  We  have  now  begun  our  journey  down 
the  gold-bearing  rivers.  It  is  well  to  keep  to  the  right 
shore  for  four  or  five  miles  after  leaving  the  lake,  as 
there  are  quite  a  number  of  nasty  jagged  rocks  in  the 
center  of  the  river  and  on  the  left  shore  for  a  distance 
of  three  or  four  miles.  It  is  a  very  easy  matter  to 
punch  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  one's  boat  by  coming  in 
contact  with  these  rocks,  especially  if  we  have  hoisted 
sail,  or  are  rowing. 

The  current  of  the  river  is  quite  swift  now,  and  we 
shall  only  have  to  row  if  we  deem  it  necessary  to  double 
our  speed  to  avoid  being  frozen  in.  When  the  wind 
is  blowing  down  the  river,  a  sail  will  increase  our  speed 
to  about  ten  miles  per  hour.  If  we  are  not  in  a  hurry 
to  reach  the  mining  district  we  can  take  our  ease  in 
the  boat,  it  being  only  necessary  to  row  to  keep  the 
boat  in  the  current.  We  shall  find  a  paddle  all  that  is 
necessary  to  steer  with,  or  even  cross   the  river ;  one 


\ 


!i 


0> 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


35 


soon  learns  how  to  handle  a  boat  in  the  Yukon,  and  is 
easily  accustomed  to  the  use  of  the  paddle  after  the 
fashion  of  the  Indians.  It  is  quite  possible  that  we 
have  traded  with  the  Indians  for  a  number  of  fish,  so 
we  shall  not  tarry  on  our  way.  A  run  of  about  thirty 
miles  brings  us  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ilootalinqua ;  this 
stream,  by  the  way,  is  reported  as  being  very  rich  in 
fine  gold,  but  we  have  never  yet  heard  of  any  one 
taking  out  a  sufficient  quantity  of  pay  dirt  to  warrant 
a  return  to  its  banks,  and  of  all  the  dreary,  desolate 
districts  of  the  Yukon  Valley,  the  Hootalinqua  is  the 
worst.  We  heard  of  a  party  of  six  miners  packing 
over  the  Chilkoot  Pass  and  down  the  lakes  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Ilootalinqua,  and  took  with  them  4,000 
pounds  of  provisions,  determined  to  stay  and  prospect 
its  creeks  until  they  did  find  gold.  Nothing  more  was 
ever  heard  of  the  party.  Whether  they  struck  rich 
deposits  of  gold  or  were  food  for  some  of  the  many 
wild  animals  that  inhabit  the  upper  Hootalinqua,  I 
cannot  say,  but  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  after  put- 
ting in  a  couple  of  winters  of  dead  work  they  returned 
to  Juneau  thoroughly  disheartened  and  disgusted  with 
the  country. 

We  shall  not  do  any  prospecting  on  our  way  down 
to  the  Klondyke,  but  shall  content  ourselves  with 
observing  the  various  points  of  interest  or  taking 
notes  for  future  reference.  We  shall  probably  be 
able  to  see  a  moose   or  two  on   our  way  down,  so  we 


36 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF   THE    YUKON. 


Ill,  ili'ii.ili 


I  i 


must  see  that  the  rifles  are  in  a  handy  place,  and  if  we 
stop  at  nij^ht  to  camp,  we  might  try  to  get  a  bite  or 
two  (fish  I  mean,  not  mosquitos — we  shall  have  plenty 
of  bites  from  these  vicious  little  beggars).  A  run  of 
twenty-five  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Hootalinqua 
will  bring  us  to  Cassiar  Bar.  Many  thousands  of  dol- 
lars have  lieen  taken  out  of  this  bar,  but  it  will  not 
pay  us  to  work  it  now.  Time  was  when  a  man  could 
afford  to  stay  on  the  Cassiar  Bar  and  wait  a  month 
for  low  water,  and  take  out  a  sufiicient  quantity  of 
gold  to  furnish  him  with  supplies  for  all  winter,  in  a 
very  few  days,  but  our  time  is  too  precious,  and  it  now 
only  pays  to  work  when  the  bar  is  at  very  low  water, 
and  before  we  could  get  out  much  "  dist,"  winter  would 
be  upon  us,  and  we  should  not  l)e  able  to  reach  Klon- 
dyke  in  time  for  the  spring  rush.  We  should  be 
frozen  in,  and  at  the  best,  our  winter  would  be  a  very 
miseral)lc  one. 

A  few  seasons  ago,  a  party  of  miners  brought  down 
the  river  a  dredge,  having  packed  that  cumbersome 
piece  of  machinery  over  the  Divide  and  put  in  a  whole 
season  trying  to  make  a  stake  out  of  this  rich,  but 
obstinate  bar,  without  much  success.  Repo' ..  came 
down  the  river  that  they  were  dredging  gold  nuggets 
by  the  bucketful,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  same 
winter  I  saw  one  of  the  party  who  owned  a  fourth 
interest  in  the  dredger,  behind  a  bar  of  a  different  type 
at  Forty    Mile,  where  the  water  is  always  low,  and  he 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


37 


did  not  strike  me  as  particularly  prosperous.  From 
Cassiar  Bar,  a  run  of  aliout  fifty  miles  brings  us  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Little  vSalmon  River,  so  named  because 
salmon  rarely  are  found  as  hi<j^h  up  as  this  point  in  the 
Lewis.  This  creek  has  been  prospected  some,  but 
no  great  strike  has  ever  been  reported  from  it,  so  we 
must  conclude  that  it  is  either  poor  in  pay  or  it  has  not 
been  well  prospected.  I  am  rather  inclined  to  believe 
that  tiie  latter  is  the  caase  of  its  non-production,  as  it 
certainly  drains  a  large  area  and  is  a  good  type  of  a 
northern  gold-producing  stream.  I  think  the  near 
future  will  see  the  Little  Salmon  developed  sufficiently 
to  offer  a  goodly  number  of  well  paying  claims  to  the 
hardy  prospectors  who  dare  to  winter  so  far  from  a 
base  of  supplies. 

We  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Big  vSalmon  without 
comment,  because  it  is  not  considered  of  much  impor- 
tance as  a  gold  stream.  In  fact,  it  has  been  said  by  many 
of  the  miners  who  have  prospected  it,  that  not  an 
ounce  of  gold  can  be  taken  from  the  whole  river  bot- 
tom, and  its  tributaries  are  too  short  and  drain  too  flat 
a  country  to  t)ecome  of  much    value  as  gold  producers. 

Sixty  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Salmon 
River,  we  come  suddenly  on  one  of  the  queerest  sights 
on  the  Yukon  River,  the  Five  Finger  Rapids.  Four 
large  irregularly  shaped  rocks,  about  a  big  as  a  two 
story  house  range  themselves  nearly  in  line  across  the 
river,    looking    for    all    the    world   like  giant  sentinels 


nil  II 'III 


38 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


II  !!'i:!lillH 


guarding  the  treasures  that  lie  heyond  them  in  the  snow 
covered  vaults  of  the  Yukon  River.  The  river  here  is 
quite  rapid,  and  the  only  passage  through  which  we 
can  run  our  hoat  with  safety  is  the  right  hand  channel. 
Do  not  be  alarmed,  for  all  we  have  U-  v',  ^  to  keep  in 
the  center  of  the  channel  and  keep  iti  ■  nose  of  the 
boat  down  the  river,  and  we  shall  run  the  Rapids  as 
easily  and  safely  as  we  go  down  any  other  part  of  the 
river.  A  few  miles  before  we  reach  the  Five  Finger 
Rapids  is  George  McCarmack's  old  Indian  trading  post. 
This  is  now  abandoned  by  the  "venerable"  George; 
he  was  the  first  man  on  the  Klondyke.  A  mile  or  so 
beyond  McCarmack's  trading  post,  ( which  by  the  way 
is  very  poorly  stocked  with  anything,  except  Indian 
trading  articles)  on  the  right  hand  side  of  •^'\j  viverj 
before  turning  to  the  Five  Fhigered  Rap'i  ,  "v  see 
evidence  of  McCarmack's  shrewdness  and  ei  it;/,  rise. 
He  has  drifted  a  hole  in  the  side  of  the  mounci:  1.  '  nd 
when  we  last  passed  this  point,  he  was  taking  out  good 
specimens  of  coal.  He  informed  me  that  the  scan  was 
immeasurably  thick,  and  of  as  good  a  quality  as  any 
soft  coal  in  the  States. 

Three  miles  below  Five  Finger  Rai^ids,  we  find 
ourselves  approaching  the  Rink  Rapids  ,  -  >  named  by 
Lieut.  Schwatka)  on  account  of  the  mu.S"  ri  rhythm 
of  the  water  as  it  runs  over  the  shallow  bottom  on  the 
left  hand  side  of  th  ■  river.  To  run  these  rapids  is 
mere  child's  play  ;   ah  we  !;a,'c  to  do  is  to   keep  to  the 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF   THE    YUKON. 


39 


ne  snow 
•  here  is 
lich    we 
channel, 
keep  in 
of    the 
ipids    as 
-t  of  the 
:  Fin*rer 
ing  post. 
George ; 
ile  or  so 
the  way 
t   Tudian 
■ve  river? 
,  I'o,'   see 
i,rt:;/i.-rise. 
itt  n,  ^nd 
out  good 
jea'n  was 
y   as   any 


we 


find 
mmed  hy 
i  rh;  thm 
)m  on  the 
rapids  is 
;ep  to  the 


right  hand  side  of  the  river,  after  leaving  Five  Fin- 
ger Rapids  and  we  shall  pass  through  Rink  Rapids, 
without  knowing  it,  so  far  as  turhulence  of  the  water 
is  concerned.  Now,  we  have  clear  sailing  all  the  way 
down  the  river  to  the  Klondyke,  all  the  dangerous 
points  are  passed,  and  we  shall  soon  he  mingling  with 
the  crowd  of  fortune  hunters  at  Dawson  City. 

About  sixty-five  miles  below   Five  Fingers,  we  arc 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Pelly  River.      Its  past  history  and 
future  prospects,  we  have  talked   about  before,  so  we 
will    just   run    across   the   river   and   see  how  old  man 
Harper  is  getting  along  at  Fort  Selkirk.     He  has  been 
in   the   Yukon    Valley,  trading  first   with   the  Indians 
and   then   with  the   white  men,  ever   since  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company  established  trading  posts  along 
the  river.     Before    this    time,   I    believe   he    was    em- 
ployed by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  as  a  post  trader 
at  one   of  the   northern   stations.     Wishing  good  bye 
to  our  Selkirk  friends,  a   quick   uneventful  run  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  brings  us  to  Stewart  River. 
Gold  was  first  discovered  in  the  Yukon  Valley  on  this 
river.     The  prospects  for  the  future  of  Stewart  River 
are  as  bright  and  hopeful  as  for  any  of  the  creeks  that 
are  known  to   contain   gold.     We  do  not  tarry  here, 
however,  as  we  are  in  a  hurry  to  get  to   Dawson  City, 
and  after  making  about  sixty-five  miles  more,  we  find 
ourselves  at  the  new  El  Dorado — Dawson  City,  where 
we  propose  to  tie  up  awhile  and  look  around  us,  or  go 


40 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


ihi 


on  clown  to  Forty  Mile  Creek  and  try  our  luck  there. 
Here,  we  shall  part  company,  but  if  you  are  deter- 
mined to  <^o  on  further  down  the  river,jirospecting  the 
multitude  of  creeks  which  empty  into  the  Yukon  be- 
fore reachinj^  Circle  City,  y^u  will  find  nothing  to  hin- 
der your  progress.  The  river  from  Forty  Mile  to 
Circle  City  is  half  a  mile  wide,  and  has  a  current  of 
about  five  miles  an  hour.  If,  after  reaching  Circle 
City,  you  have  made  up  your  mind  to  go  to  the  mines 
in  that  district,  it  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  pack 
your  goods  a  distance  of  about  twelve  miles  to  Birch 
Creek,  and  then  ascend  that  stream  for  about  sixty 
miles  when  you  will  have  arrived  at  Mastodon  Creek, 
the  most  remarkable  creek  in  the  Yukon  Valley. 


REMARKS. 

This   is   a  summer   journey   and  may   be  made  by 
weaving  Juneau  between  June  ist  and  August  15th.     If 
the   trip,  however,  is  made  in  the   early    spring    the 
supplies  must  include  a  Yukon  sled,  which  may  be  pur- 
chased in  Juneau  for  about  $8  or  $9,  and  instead  of 
having  to  pack  our   outfit  up   the   Dyea  through  the 
Canyon   and  over  the  summit,  on  our   shoulders,  we 
shall  be  able  to  pack  six  times  that  much  on  our  sleds 
and  haul  it  up  the  creeks  and  rivers  and  over  the  snow 
that  lies  in  the  canyon,  making  the  ascent  of  the   Pass 
remarkably  easy,  and  we  shall  arrive  at  Lake  Linder- 
mann  in   much  quicker  time  than  though  we  had   to 
pack  our  goods.     Until  the  middle  of  April  the  lakes 
are  frozen,  so  that  we  may  push  on  down  towards  the 
Lewis  River  in  easy  stages  of  about  twenty  miles  per 
day  until  we  reach  a  point   where  we  decide  to  locate 
our  permanent  camp  until  the  ice  breaks  up  and  we  can 
follow  its  course  down  the  Lewis  and  Yukon  Rivers. 
It  is  necessary  to  select  a  location  where  the  timber  is 
thick  and  of  good  size,  because  we  shall  now  have  to 

41 


42 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


make  our  boat.  There  is  no  saw  mill  nearer  than 
Sixty  Mile  Creek.  By  starting  about  the  la  :er  end  of 
March  we  shall  easily  be  able  to  sled  our  goods  over 
the  ice  as  far  as  Lake  LaBarge.  We  shall  probably 
reach  that  lake  about  the  15th  or  20th  of  April,  and  fill 
in  the  interim  to  while  away  the  tedium  of  the  long 
wait.  We  must  build  our  boat.  We  have  already 
selected  the  location  for  a  permanent  camp  and  pro- 
ceed to  build  a  saw  pit.  This  is  done  by  selecting  two 
trees  within  a  few  feet  of  each  other  and  spiking  a  log- 
across  them  at  a  height  of  about  eight  feet.  Fifteen 
ffcct  from  the  trees  we  erect  a  similar  structure,  form- 
ing a  pair  of  trestles  for  the  log  which  we  shall  have  to 
saw  into  boards  before  we  can  go  any  further  on  our 
journey.  Selecting  four  or  five  good  sized  trees  we  fell 
them  and  trim  off  the  small  branches  and  limbs  and 
square  one  side  of  them  with  our  adze  or  axe.  We 
then  roll  this  log  on  our  saw  pit  and  proceed  to  rip  it 
into  boards.  This  is  very  laborious  work  and  rather 
apt  to  make  you  wish  yourself  back  again  in  a  saw-mill 
country.  However,  three  days  will  suffice  for  us  to 
saw  out  a  sufiicient  quantity  of  lumber  to  build  a  boat 
large  enough  to  carry  a  party  of  four  down  the  river. 
We  have  brought  with  us  from  Juneau,  nails  and 
pitch  and  oakum,  and  finish  off  our  boat  in  a  workman- 
like manner,  making  it  thoroughly  water  tight  by 
calking  the  seams  with  oakum  and  putting  on  our 
pitch.     Some  miners  prefer  to  wait  for  the  breaking  up 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF   THE    YUKON. 


43 


than 
id  of 
over 
ably 
dfill 
long^ 
eady 
pro- 
^  two 


of  the  ice  at  Lake  Takou,  because  of  the  good  hunting 
to  be  found  in  that  vicinity.  The  timber  found  all 
around  this  lake  is  well  adapted  for  boat- making,  being 
of  very  good  size  and  free  from  limbs  for  thirty  feet 
from  the  roots. 

It  is  not  advisable  for  the  traveler  to  leave  the  lake 
shores  for  any  great  distance  on  account  of  the  oppor- 
tunities there  are  for  losing  oneself.  The  forest  is  v.  >*y 
dense  and  lakes  and  land  are  all  covered  with  snow, 
and,  there  being  no  trails,  one  might  experience  difli- 
culty  in  finding  one's  camp. 

In  following  the  ice  down  the  river  don't  keep  too 
close  to  it  or  you  may  be  unable  to  get  your  boat  out 
of  the  river  if  any  ice  comes  behind  from  any  of  the 
other  rivers.  Many  men  have  been  left  without  boat 
or  outfit  by  an  accident  of  this  kind,  and  one  or  two 
have  lost  their  lives. 

No  man  in  his  senses  will  take  any  unnecessary 
risks  in  his  journey  down  the  Yukon,  and  whih^  the 
practice  of  running  some  of  the  rapids  and  being 
altogether  careless  is  very  common  in  this  country,  I 
think  that  he  who  takes  every  precaution  for  his  personal 
safety  will  do  quite  as  well  in  this  rough  and  tumble 
country  as  he  who  rushes  pell-mell  into  and  through 
everything.  One  is  very  far  from  aid  in  case  of  any 
accident  happening.  A  little  caution,  mixed  with  lots 
of  determination,  will  carry  a  man  through  lots  of  tight 
places. 


;:.    '  !i 


44 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF   THE    YUKON. 


WHAT  TO  TAKE. 

A  man  who  intends  to  try  his  hick  in  the  \"ukon  should 
not  take  less  than  one  year's  j^rub,  and  if  he  has  a  few 
hundred  dollars  besides  his  outfit,  so  much  the  better 
for  him,  as  it  is  a  country  of  uncertainties.  An  outfit 
she  Id  consist  of  the  followinj^  essentials,  and  if  I 
omit  any  articles  that  the  prospector  thinks  he  cannot 
get  along  without,  let  him  add  them,  but  let  him  not 
forget  that  it  is  the  weight  he  must  try  to  economize  on. 


ONE  YEAR'S  PROVISIONS. 

400  lbs.  of  flour,  100  lbs.  drijd  peaches,  100  lbs. 
side  bacon,  200  lbs.  beans,  10  lbs.  of  tea,  10  lbs.  cof- 
fee, y^  lb.  pepper,  10  lbs.  salt,  (saccharine  5  oz.)  ;  this 
is  used  instead  of  sugar,  one  oz.  of  it  is  about  equal  to 
100  lbs.  of  sugar;  i  lb.  of  citric  acid,  especially  palat- 
able in  the  Yukon  ;  ice  cold  lemonade  can  easily  be 
made  from  citric  acid  and  a  tiny  pinch  of  saccharine ; 
50  lbs.  corn  meal,  10  lbs.  dried  beef.  Of  course  if  one 
has  made  arrangements  to  obtain  a  supply  of  provis- 
ions from  the  trading  companies  at  the  camp,  one  can 
take  a  proportionately  smaller  amount  with  him  on  his 
trip  overland,  say  50  lbs.  flour,  10  lbs.  bacon,  &c. 
However,  the  extraordinary  rush  to  the  diggings  will 
make  provisions  very  scarce  this  winter,  and  I  should 
not  advise  a  man  to  go  into  the  country  with  less  than 
the  former  amount.      One  may  be  fortunate  enough  to 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF   THE    YUKON. 


45 


lould 
few 

letter 

putfit 
if  I 

Liinot 
not 


swell  the  size  of  one's  lirder  by  killing  some  game  on  the 
way  down  the  river,  but  there  is  nothing  certain  about  it. 

One  8  X  lo  tent,  (8  oz.  duck),  i  small  sheet  iron 
stove,  with  2  or  3  lengths  of  pipe,  (telescopic),  i  large 
steel  frying  pan,  i  baking  pan,  i  small  granite  kettle, 
I  bread  pan,  coffee  pot,  granite  plate,  cup,  i  large  mix- 
ing spoon,  knife,  fork  and  spoon. 

A.  2f%  lb.  axe,  small  hatchet,  5  lbs.  2  and  4  in.  wire 
nails,  5  lbs.  pitch,  3  lbs.  of  oakum,  hammer,  brace  and 
extension  bit,  small  hand-saw,  large  whip-saw,  50  feet 
S/q  in.  rope,  draw- knife,  i  in.  chisel. 

Rifle,  (40-82  Winchester),  with  reloading  tools, 
100  rounds  of  ammunition;  a  good  sized  hunting 
knife  will  be  found  very  useful. 

Clothing  should  consist  of  2  pairs  canvas  pants,  2 
pairs  heavy  wool  socks,  i  pair  boot  "packs,"  2  pairs  ordi- 
nary socks,  I  pair  rubber  boots,  i  pair  sporting  boots, 
I  pair  ordinary  shoes,  2  suits  good  woolen  underwear,  i 
pair  snow  glasses,  5  yards  of  mosquito  netting,  a  cou- 
ple of  caps,  a  pair  of  blanket  lined  mittens,  1  rubber 
blanket,  and  a  pair  of  heavy  woolen  blankets,  rubber 
coat  for  summer,  sou'wester  cap,  a  couple  of  macki- 
nac  shirts,  a  sweater,  2  summer  negligee  shirts,  cart- 
ridge belt,  I  can  rubber  cement,  needles,  thread,  piece 
of  yellow  wax  and  a  pair  of  scissors. 

A  shaving  outfit  will  be  very  useful  even  if  one 
wears  a  beard.  I  rather  think  he  will  shave  after  put- 
ting in  one  winter  in  the  Yukon. 


in 


46  GOLD    FIELDS    OF   THE    YUKON. 

Tobacco,  of  course,  will  be  taken  l)y  many.  Plenty 
of  matches  must  be  taken,  and  kept  in  a  can  or  oil 
sack.  One  is  in  a  bad  fix  if  left  without  means  of 
obtaining  fire  in  such  a  cold  country. 

DISTANCES  FROn  JUNEAU. 

To  Dyea 80  miles. 

To  Head  Canoe  Navigation 106  miles. 

To  Summit  Chilkort  Pass 115  miles. 

To  Lake  Lindermann 1 24  miles. 

To  Head  of  Lake  Bennett 129  miles. 

To  Foot  of  Lake  Bennett 155  miles. 

To  Caribou  Crossing 158  miles. 

To  Foot  of  Lake  Takou 175  miles. 

To  Takish  House 1 79  miles. 

To  Head  of  Mud  Lake 180  miles. 

To  Foot  of  Mud  Lake 200  miles. 

To  Head  of  Miles  Canon ; 225  miles. 

To  Head  of  White  Horse  Rapids 228  miles. 

To  Head  of  Lake  Le  Barge 256  miles. 

To  Foot  of  Lake  Le  Barge 287  miles. 

To  Hootalikiqua 320  miles. 

To  Cassiar  Bar 347  miles. 

To  Little  Salmon  River 390  miles. 

To  Five  Fingers 45 1  miles. 

To  Pelly  River 510  miles. 

To  Stewart  River 630  miles. 

To  Dawson  City 695  miles. 

To  Forty  Mile 750  miles. 

These  are  estimated  distances — the  route  has  never 
been  surveyed. 


m 


\ 


T! 


J 


^v 


o 

2 

m 


^v- 


\    A 


^asif 


GOLD    FIELDS    OK    THE    YUKON. 


49 


A  STORY  OF  THE  OVERLAND  TRIP. 


SAILING  FROM  JUNEAU  TO  DYEAU. 

We  arrived  in  Juneau  about  the  middle  of  June  and 
at  once  repaired  to  one  of  the  many  hotels,  which,  by 
the  way,  are  not  at  all  bad  for  the  rates,  and  at  once 
began  making  iquiries  about  the  route  to  the  Yukon, 
etc.  Our  informants  dampened  the  ardor  of  my  com- 
panion from  San  Francisco  with  tales  of  such  hard- 
ships and  stories  of  the  impossibility  of  making  the 
trip  so  late  in  the  year,  that  he  decided  to  return  to 
California,  where  walking  was  easier.  This  left  me 
in  a  bad  fix,  as  1  had  made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  the 
Yukon  and  I  hardly  liked  the  prospect  of  going  alone. 
However,  I  chanced  to  meet  a  couple  of  fellows  in  the 
hotel  who  were  waiting  for  the  Rustler  to  transport 
them  to  Chilkoot  inlet  (she  was  laid  up  for  repairs) 
and  suggested  that  as  there  was  small  prospect  of 
leaving  Juneau  for  a  week  or  two  we  might  do  well  to 
purchase  a  craft  of  some  kind  and  sail  up  to  Dyea. 
The  idea  was  a  feasible  one  and  we  at  once  set  out  for 
the  boat  market.  After  a  great  deal  of  dickering  we 
finally  persuaded  a  wrinkled  old  S(|uaw-man  to  sell  us 
his  leaky  punt  for  eight  dollars ;  which  we  patched  up 
with  tomato  cans  and  old  rope,  and  gave  the  whole 
boat  a  liberal  coating  of  tar. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  June  27  we  set  sail  for 
Dyea. 


so 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


Our  stock  of  provisions  and  tools  for  building  a 
lioar  on  the  lakes  was  a  fairly  complete  one,  and  as  we 
had  the  whole  summer  before  us  we  kept  well  into  the 
shore,  (a  map  of  the  inlet  cost  us  50c.)  because  of  the 
senile  state  of  our  craft.  A  few  hours  out  of  Juneau 
landed  us  high  and  dry  on  a  sand  bar,  the  tides  had 
gone  out  and  we  were  stranded  between  the  two  chan- 
nels. However,  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  wait 
for  the  high  tide,  so  we  put  in  our  time  in  spearing 
with  a  sharp  pointed  stick  some  of  the  millions  of 
flounders  that  dart  from  under  and  around  ones  feet  at 
every  step  taken  in  this  shallow  water.  After  making 
a  hearty  meal  on  flap  jacks  and  flounder,  we  deter- 
mined io  sail  or  row  all  night,  so  lay  cuddled  up  in  the 
})oat  for  a  nap.  After  the  returning  tide  again  made 
a  channel  over  the  bar  we  hoisted  our  fly  sheet  and  set 
sail  under  a  good  breeze  towards  the  north. 

Nothing  worth  recounting  happened  during  the  first 
night  of  our  journey.  The  morning  proved  to  be  a 
])eautiful  one  with  a  fair  wind,  gentle  enough  to  still 
any  alarm  we  might  feel  for  our  loose- jointed  "yacht." 
So  we  kept  our  boat  headed  towards  our  goal.  The 
evening  of  the  third  day  of  our  voyage  proved  to  be 
too  stormy  for  us  to  continue  it,  so  we  went  ashore 
and  hauled  our  boat  well  up  the  beach,  and  began  look- 
ing around  for  a  good  place  to  pitch  our  tent,  which 
we  had  improvised  out  of  a  fly-sheet.  The  spot  we 
had  selected  was  just  within  the  fringe  of  woods  that 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


51 


came  down  the  gently  sloping  mountains  to  within 
a  hundred  yards  of  the  water's  edge,  we  built 
a  fire  and  went  tlown  to  the  rocky  beach  to 
collect  some  of  the  mussels  that  almost  hid  the 
rocks,  so  numerous  were  they.  It  was  just  getting 
dusk  and  one  of  my  companions,  a  Swede,  a  very 
fidgety  beggar,  ever  on  the  lookout  for  trouble, 
asserted  that  he  saw  a  bear  coming  along  the  beach 
about  half  a  mile  from  our  camp,  a  hasty  scramble 
back  to  the  tent  for  our  arsenal,  which  consisted 
of  a  Winchester,  an  old  fashioned  muzzle-loading 
fowling-piece  and  a  four  pound  axe.  The  Swede 
already  had  a  revolver  in  his  belt,  so  we  made 
ready  to  do  battle  with  the  shaggy  beast  the  Swede 
had  seen.  After  two  hours  waiting  in  a  defen- 
sive attitude  we  decided  to  make  a  sortie.  It  was 
by  this  time  quite  dark,  but  the  fire  on  which  we  had 
piled  a  number  of  well  dried  logs  was  burning 
brightly  and  ihrew  a  fitful  glare  over  the  beach  in 
our  immedi  .V?  proximity,  making  deep  shadows  on  the 
dark  side  of  the  rocks. 

About  three  hundred  yards  from  where  we  stood 
we  saw  a  great  black  object  moving  about  near  the 
water's  edge  and  we  were  in  that  high  state  of 
nervous  excitement  which  is  only  born  of  a  mixture 
of  fear  and  bravery.  Seizing  the  rille  one  of  my 
companions  commenced  a  fusillade  in  the  direction 
of  the  now    approaching  object,    none    of  the  bullets 


52 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


seeming  to  take  effect  as  it  got  nearer  and  nearer, 
and  we  were  now  certain  it  was  a  bear  of  huge  dimen- 
sions. 

The  last  ball  from  the  rifle  evidently  wounded  the 
beast  for  it  dropped  suddenly  on  its  haunches  and  gave 
vent  to  a  series  of  ominous  growls.  Waiting  until  we 
thought  there  was  no  danger  in  approaching  within 
reach  of  it,  I  at  once  emptied  the  contents  of  the 
hastily  snatched  Swede's  revolver  at  the  crouching 
form  of  the  bear,  which  was  lying  behind  a  log  that 
had  been  cast  on  the  beach  by  the  waves.  That  the 
beast  was  badly  wounded  there  was  no  doubt  because 
although  growling  constantly  he  was  unable  to  rise. 
Running  to  where  my  companions  were  I  seized  the 
axe  and  back  I  went  to  the  one-sided  conflict.  Aiming 
a  vicious  blow  at  the  snarling  visage  at  the  animal  I 
brought  the  axe  down  with  might  and  raain  and  buried 
it  deep  in  the  log. 

I  precipitately  fled  and  only  the  jeers  of  my  well- 
armed  comrades  goadetl  me  to  go  back  for  the  axe.  I 
wrenchetl  it  loose  from  the  log  and  brought  it  broad- 
side on  in  contact  with  the  head  of  the  now  whining 
beast  and  the  battle  was  over.  Victory  was  mine  and 
I  had  slain  a  miserable  cub  bear  about  as  big  as  an 
ordinary  cat.  We  spent  the  rest  of  the  night  in  com- 
parative quiet  and  the  following  morning  set  sail  for 
Ilaine's  Mission  which  was  perhaps  15  miles  from  our 
last  camp. 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


53 


-er. 


Nothing  occurred  worth  relatinji^  until  within  sight  of 
the  mission,  when  a  sudden  squall  (very  common  in 
this  inlet)  hlew  us  on  to  a  sand  har.  We  had  a  terri- 
ble time  in  getting  our  boat  again  headed  for  the  mis- 
sion, but  after  many  narrow  escapes  succeeded  in  get- 
ting within  a  mile  of  the  village  before  the  fury  of  the 
storm  which  followed  the  squall,  burst  upon  us,  and  of 
all  the  miserable  journeys  we  had  on  our  whole  trip 
that  mile  was  the  worst.  We  finally  reached  the  rocks, 
skirting  the  Bay  just  as  our  boat  filled  with  water  and 
were  pulled  out  more  dead  than  alive  by  the  friendly 
natives.  The  Cure  in  charge  of  the  mission  tendered 
us  a  cordial  welcome  and  having  dried  our  clothing  we 
went  back  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster,  and  there  50  feet 
from  the  waters  cd^e  lav  our  old  tug  still  containing: 
the  heavier  articles  of  our  i)utfit.  The  remainder, 
clothing,  oars,  sail,  etc.,  was  strewn  all  along  the 
beach.  Nothing  daimted  we  patched  up  the  open 
seams  of  our  craft  and  again  set  sail  for  Dyea,  about 
fifceen  miles  away.  We  were  uninvited  guests  of 
the  mission  for  nearly  a  we*  k,  out  our  welcome  was 
a   hearty    one. 

Reaching  Dyea  after  a  few  hours  sailing  and  rowing, 
we  found  ourselves  at  a  loss  for  Indians  to  pack 
our  goods  over  the  Divide.  This  was  before  the  rushes 
into  the  Yukon.  The  store  keeper  at  this  place 
informed  us  that  the  Indians  had  all  gone  Salmon  fish- 
ing and  advised  us  as  to  the  best  means  of  towing  our 


54 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


tottering  old  boat  up  the  river  to  the  head  of  canoe 
navigation. 

We  left  Dyea  on  July  the  loth,  having  been  nearly 
2  weeks  coming  from  Juneau.  We  could  have  made 
the  trip  on  the  Rustler  in  less  than  24  hours. 

Bidding  good-bye  to  civilization  and  all  hope  for  aid 
in  emergency  we  commenced  our  journey  up  the  short 
but  rapid  Dyea,  a  mile  or  two  above  the  store,  an  old 
Indian  coming  down  the  river  in  his  dug-out  stopped 
to  converse  with  us  and  after  persuading  him  to  tow 
us  up  the  river,  for  the  "  Bear-skin  "  and  the  boat,  we 
transferred  our  kit  to  his  dug-out  and  resumed  our 
journey,  and  in  a  few  hours  made  camp  at  the  head  of 
canoe  navigation. 

Here  we  became  neighbors  of  a  camp  of  squaws 
who  had  accompanied  a  party  of  Indians  to  the  lakes 
antl  were  returning  to  their  homes  at  Dyea.  Their 
faces  were  blackened  with  charcoal  and  they  presented  a 
very  curious  appearance.  Whether  they  acquired  this 
habit  from  observing  their  white  sisters  using  "  Poz- 
zoni"  or  not  I  cannot  say.  I  was  afterwards  told  by 
an  old  Indian  trader  that  charcoal  applied  to  the  face 
was  better  than  goggles  for  preventing  snow-blindness. 
The  following  morning  we  began  our  fearful  journey 
over  the  divide.  Having  to  pack  our  own  outfit  we 
had  to  make  t^o  trips,  carrying  100  lbs.  for  a  mile  or 
two  and  returning  for  the  balance.  After  a  terrific 
day's  work  we  got  all  our  goods   to  Sheep  Camp  and 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


55 


HOC 


dreamt  of  Ilome-Sweet-Home.  The  follovvinj)^  even- 
ing saw  us  at  Stone  House,  after  a  day's  hard  clinibin<^ 
over  rocks  and  fallen  tree  trunks,  differin<r  only  in 
point  of  labor  from  the  precedin*^  day. 

We  were  delayed  at  this  camp  for  three  days  on  ac- 
count of  the  severe  storm  that  was  raging.  It  rained 
in  torrents  and  the  wind  blew  so  hard  that  we  decided 
to  stay  in  our  present  uncomfortable  quarters  until  it 
abated  somewhat. 

It  is  very  dangerous  to  attempt  to  cross  the  Divide 
in  a  storm,  and  as  we  had  been  warned  about  crossing 
in  bad  weather  we  had  to  make  the  best  of  ,it. 

Of  course  our  fly-sheet  did  us  some  service  at  this 
camp,  but  we  were  most  of  the  time  thoroughly 
drenched  by  the  rain  that  poured  down  from  the  angry 
clouds  that  scudded  over  our  heads.  At  length,  how- 
ever, the  sun  peeped  through  the  clouds  and  the  storm 
was  over.  Stone  House  is,  indeed,  a  desolate  spot. 
Straight  ahead  of  us  the  field  gradually  slopes  up 
towards  the  summit,  which  we  could  not  see  but  could 
feel,  and  its  touch  made  our  flesh  crawl.  It  does 
strike  awe  into  a  man's  soul  to  be  comparatively  alone 
in  this  wilderness  of  silence  that  is  rarely  broken  save 
by  the  rippling  of  the  little  cascades  that  tumble 
down  the  perpendicular  sides  of  the  mountains  or 
the  boom  of  the  ice  dropping  from  the  glaciers  that 
are  the  crowning  glory  of  the  cliffs  that  form  the  sides 
of  the  ravine  up  which  we  are  traveling.  The  unmeas- 


S6 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


urcd  tread  of  the  army  of  prospectors  who  annually 
walk  wearily,  painfully  over  the  snowy  carpet  that 
leads  to  the  crest  of  the  ridge  is  unheard  save  by  them- 
selves. 

At  last  we  arrived  at  the  last  stage  of  our  climb, 
and  we  took  a  survey  of  the  almost  perpendicular  snow 
cliff  over  which  we  had  to  go.  There  was  no  way 
out  of  it,  so  up  we  went,  following  the  advice  and 
gradually  crawling  over  to  the  right  side  of  the  ascent, 
where  there  was  a  quantity  of  slide-rock  which  gave 
us  a  very  fair  foot-hold  and  enabled  us  to  get  ever  the 
ridge  without  any  mishap.  Part  of  outfit  had  been 
left  at  the  last  bench,  so  we  emulated  the  example  of 
the  Indians,  method  of  going  down  a  snow  bank. 
About  three  minutes  sufficed  for  us  to  get  to  the  bot- 
tom of  this  giant  toboggan  and  we  were  about  three 
hours  in  again  returning  to  our  packs.  From  here 
down  to  Crater  Lake  we  found  very  little  difficulty 
in  transporting  our  goods  ;  in  fact,  the  greater 
part  of  the  journey  we  made  by  sitting  on  our  packs 
and  sliding  down.  We  followed  the  course  of  a  little 
stream  running  out  of  this  lake,  and  about  eleven 
o'clock  the  same  night  camped  in  the  woods  about 
seven  miles  from  the  summit. 

Early  the  following  morning  we  conveyed  our 
baggage  to  the  head  of  Lake  Lindermann,  and  after 
making  camp  we  determined  to  spend  the  balance  of 
the  day  in  resting,  for  we  were  thoroughly  fagged  out. 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF   THE    YUKON. 


57 


The  distance  from  the  summit  to  this  lake  is  about 
ten  miles.  The  day  after  our  arrival  at  Lake  Linder- 
mann  we  looked  over  our  outfit  preparatory  to  starting 
vv^ork  on  our  -boat  and  discovered  that  somewhere 
along  the  trail  we  had  left  our  whip-saw.  Here  was 
a  dilemma.  We  could  not  go  back  after  it ;  that  was 
out  of  the  question ;  we  might  search  for  a  week  and 
not  find  it,  and  we  could  not  make  a  boat  without  it, 
so  the  only  way  out  of  the  difficulty  was  to  build  a  raft 
and  do  the  best  we  could  with  that. 

When  our  raft  was  nearly  cop^pleted,  two  returning 
prospectors  stumbled  on  to  our  camp,  and  informed  us 
that  they  had  left  a  first-class  boat  on  lake  Bennett  and 
if  we  could  get  there  before  an)  natives  destroyed  it 
for  the  nailu,  we  were  welcome  to  it  and  all  the  provis- 
ions they  had  cached.  They  had  started  for  Forty- 
mile,  and  at  the  foot  of  Mud  Lake  had  become  discour- 
aged, and  were  on  the  way  back  to  Juneau.  They 
had  had  enough  of  the  Y  ukon  even  before  they  reached 

there.  • 

We  pulled  straws  who  should  go  and  secure  the 
boat,  ar-'  the  lot  fell  to  me.  I  was  always  an  unlucky 
fellow. 

I  left  my  companions  to  finish  the  raft,  and  taking 
n-iy  rifle  and  a  few  flap  jacks  with  me  I  lost  no  time  in 
pulling  out  for  that  most  necessary  means  of  convey- 
ance  a  boat — and  I  believe  I  prayed  all  the  way  to  its 

hidin:^-place  that  nobc  ly  had  taken  it. 


58 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF   THE    YUKON. 


Eventually,  by  following  the  shore  of  Lake  Linder- 
man,  after  crossing  several  waist-deep  streams,  I 
reached  the  portage  leading  to  Lake  l^ennett.  It  did 
not  take  me  long  to  trot  up  the  trail  and  get  a  glimpse 
of  the  lake,  as  the  portage  is  only  about  half  or  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  long,  and  I  soon  found  the  boat,  for 
which  I  felt  very  grateful. 

I  was  tired  out  with  my  journey,  so  went  to  sleep  in 
the  boat  and  dreamt  of  gold  and  grub  for  about  ten 
hours. 

Upon  awakening  my  first  thought  was  to  look  for 
tiie  cache  the  men  had  told  us  about  and  easily  found 
it,  although  it  was  ingeniously  hidden  underneath  a 
pile  of  rocks. 

The  outfit  was  a  good  one  and  considerably 
strengthened  the  one  we  had  brought  with  us. 

I  shot  a  few  squirrels  and  spent  the  time  trying  to 
catch  a  few  fish  while  waiting  for  my  comp.mions  to 
bring  our  own  outfit  down  on  the  raft. 

It  took  them  three  days  to  complete  the  raft  and  one 
day  to  run  the  lake,  so  you  can  imagine  that  I  was  very 
glad  to  hear  a  shot  one  morning,  which  was  the  signal 
agreed  upon  to  let  me  know  they  were  at  the  port- 
age. 

We  soon  carried  the  outfit  from  the  raft  to  the  boat 
and  lost  no  time  in  setting  sail  for  a  better  camping 
place  than  I  had.  We  had  an  uneventful  journey 
down  as  far  as  Lake  Takou. 


wmmmm 


mmmmm 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


59 


Wc  were  caii<:^ht  on  a  storm  in  this  lake  and  forced 
to  run  for  the  shore  and  were  laid  up  here  for  eijj^ht 
days.  It  was  during  this  delay  that  I  had  my  first 
taste  of  porcupine,  and  I  must  Sfty  that  the  fiesh  of  this 
unsavory  looking  heast  is  first-cl^ss— not  much  unlike 
roast  sucking-pig.  We  baked  it  after  the  fashion  of 
the  country,  by  digging  a  holp  in  the  ground  and 
covering  the  carcass  with  leaves  and  mud  and  deposit- 
ing it  in  the  hole,  prior  to  building  a  fire  over  it. 

It  is  a  queer  way  to  do  one's  cooking,  but  after  all 
we  are  in  a  country  where  the  niceties  of  the  dinner 
table  are  not  very  much  in  vogue,  and  I  will  say  that 
we  enjoyed  that  meal  better  than  tiny  we  had  partaken 
of  for  nearly  a  month. 

After  the  storm  en  the  lakes  nothing  befell  us  nor 
anything  happened,  worthy  of  note.,  until  w^e  reached 
Miles  Canyon. 

Here  my  companions  insisted  on  running  through  the 
canyon,  which,  to  say  the  least,  }s  rather  ticklish,  and  I 
objected  very  strenuously,  deeming  it  wise  not  to  ex- 
pose ourselves  t/o  any  danger  avoidable.  The  portage 
there  is  easily  made  t.nd  not  more  than  half  a  mile 
long.  However,  after  putting  ashore  a  portion  of  our 
outfit,  we  pulled  out  into  the  center  of  the  stream  and 
in  a  moment  were  flying  through  the  canyon  on  the 
crest  of  water  that  recedes  on  either  side  to  the  per- 
pendicular cliffs  that  form  the  side  of  the  canyon. 
Pulling  at  the  oars  with  all  our  strength,  steered  by  the 


6o 


GOLD    FIELDS   OF    THE    YUKON. 


fellow  in  the  stern  of  our  boat,  we  manajj^ed  to  keep  on 
the  comb  of  the  water,  anil  before  we  could  see  the 
dangers  we  were  passinj^  we  shot  out  of  the  canyon 
into  a  smooth  edtly  on  the  right  side  of  the  river 
and  our  mad  race  was  run.  It  is  very  exciting-  and  in- 
clines one  to  want  to  repeat  it,  but  it  is  a  stupid  thing  to 
do. 

About  three  miles  below  the  canyon  we  came  to 
Whfte  Horse  Kapids,  which  we  did  not  attempt  to 
run. 

No  other  incident  happened  until  after  we  had  passed 
Five  Finger  Rapids  when,  a  few  miles  below  them  we 
saw  a  fine  specimen  of  a  moose  swimming  the  river, 
and  after  using  nearly  every  cartridge  we  had  in  stock 
we  succeeded  in  killing  him,  and  what  to  do  with  the 
carcase  we  did  not  know. 

However  we  towed  the  big  beast  ashore  and  dressed 
it  as  well  as  possible,  cutting  off  the  choice  joints  for 
home  consumption.  We  made  many  a  hearty  meal  off 
the  delicious  meat,  never  for  a  moment  longing  for  the 
tough  roasts  we  had  left  so  far  behind  us.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  describe  the  peculiar  flavor  of  this  best  of  all 
venison. 

A  journey  of  four  or  five  days  brought  us  to  the 
present  site  of  the  famous  Klondyke  River.  We  did  not 
know  when  we  camped  on  the  present  site  city  of 
Dawson  City,  that  we  were  lying  on  a  bed  of  gold 
and  had  we  even  suspected  it,  I  do  not  think  the  tempt- 


fSWi 


GOLD    FIELDS    OF    THE    YUKON. 


6l 


ing  bait  of  Forty-mile  would   have  induced  us  to  have 
gone  there. 

Ileigho,  we  were  soon  at  Forty-mile  and  the  journey 
was  practically  over.  My  subsec^uent  hopes  and  dis- 
appointments were  many  and  although  I  did  not  strike 
it  extremely  rich,  still  I  am  not  sorry  I  went  to  the 
Yukon.  The  history  of  the  various  mining  camps  is 
too  well  known  to  need  repetition  and  I  will  ^lose  my 
little  volume  by  stating  the  my  last  wintei'  in  the 
Arctic  was  spent  in  travelling  over  much  of  the 
unknown  country  lying  to  the  east  of  Port  Clarence 
and  south  of  Point  Barron  with  Bishop  Tosi,  the 
prefect  apostolic  of  Alaska  and  that  j'oUiest  and  best 
of  all  Alaska  missionaries,  dear  old  Father  Bat  num. 
Blessed  Martyrs ! 


